Another Day -- Another Paradise

Belleair Beach - East side of road

Well, if I hit the lottery, this would be one place I'd put my money -- maybe one of those gated mansions on Belleair Beach.  Went back there again this afternoon, after finding the local Walmart Super Store to the north of here -- just west of US19.  Ran a little late as I had spent the early morning hours getting an RV site reserved for my son's wedding in Denver on Memorial Day weekend.

Beach at Sand Key Park

By the time I had received confirmation that there was a space reserved in Golden, Colorado for me and the twins, it was approaching the noon hour so, the late start had me running into more traffic than I expected (all the kids on Spring Break).  Since the Walmart was to the north and near SR60 (the Courtney Campbell Causeway), I decided it might be better to head directly to the north end of the island into Clearwater Beach.  Bumper to bumper traffic was slow going and I had hoped to park near Pier 60 and check it out but, all the parking lots were full and the beaches looked packed so, I doubled back over the other bridge to Sand Key Park.  Another spectacular view on SR60 as you cross the bridge into the heart of the beach town.

Given the crowds at Clearwater Beach, I felt content to have my pick of a number of parking spaces at Sand Key and decided a beach day could provide some sun and relaxation -- even if it was nearly 3:00 p.m. when I lathered up with lotion and drained another orange Gatorade.  I had packed a sandwich, some chips and a Granola Bar too but, the flocks of seagulls looked to be too much of a nuisance to break out any food on the beach.  Had a nice walk on the beach and after about an hour and a half decided to have that lunch in the car away from the seagulls and in the shade of a palm tree -- followed by another walk along the causeway separating Sand Key from Clearwater Beach.

Clearwater Beach on the other side

And heck, after that, I drove over to the little parking lot for the fishing piers on Sand Key and tried my luck on one of the three free fishing piers there.  The wind was a bit stiff from the northwest and the current was doing strange things on the pier closest to the bridge.  Only bait I had was the Gulp! and the first one I used had an immediate hit or two and all that remained on the hook was the head of the silicone rubber shrimp.  Only managed to catch one little Flounder -- pretty tan color with dark spots and white belly but, too small to keep.  So, since it was getting windier and more clouds were blocking the sun, I headed back here to join the twins for the night.  Maybe an earlier start tomorrow and head for Honeymoon Island or Caladesi Island to the north of Clearwater.